Flexible and Collapsible Weighted Hula Hoop

ABSTRACT

A flexible hula hoop is made of soft, non-abrasive, flexible, stretchy and collapsible material that is filled with liquid weight before use. This flexible hula hoop can have different amounts of liquid weight for the purpose of different levels of exercise. The hula hoop of this invention uses movement with the body of the user to create momentum for the toning of the abdominal, gluteal and thigh muscles, as well as for weight loss and entertainment. Additionally, there is a plug and aperture system to hold liquid in the hollow interior of the hoop while in motion, during transportation, and during storage. In addition, because said hula hoop material is stretchy it is possible to be used for resistance training for the toning of arm, leg and gluteal muscles.

Current patent claiming benefits of provisional application No.621188930 filed on Jul. 6, 2015

REFERENCES

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENT 20100029446

U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,309

U.S PATENT DOCUMENT PUBLICATION No. 99-3801

DESCRIPTION

This application claims benefits of provisional application No.621188930 filed on Jul. 6, 2015

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hula hoop, and more particularly, animproved hula hoop which is made of collapsible, soft, stretchy,flexible material that can have water added to the hollow cavity of thehula hoop to allow for different levels of exercise creating a betterexperience for the user of a hula hoop. The invention is the solution tothe problems of the conventional weighted hula hoop that have thepurpose of an entertaining exercise.

2. Description of Prior Art

The original hula hoop was introduced in the 1950's for entertainmentand has been modified over the years by other inventors who have triedto create an entertaining exercise for users who want to shrink and tonetheir waist. Along with creating an exercise apparatus, prior art hasalso tried to create a collapsible hula hoop for easy transportation,storage and shipping. Additionally, prior art has also tried to create apadded metal exercise hoop for the comfort of the user.

Conventional weighted hula hoops consist of two pieces of metal that arewelded together to create a hollow ring for the purpose of exercise andtrimming the waist. These hula hoops can have fill to add to theeffectiveness of the exercise. However, in creating a hula hoop forexercise purposes, some prior art do not allow for a comfortableworkout. For instance, when the metal weighted hula hoop comes intocontact with the body it will create such a high impact it will causepain and possible bruising. Because of this a padded hula hoop wasdesigned to eliminate this discomfort. Unfortunately, the mentioned hulahoop did not perform in the manner it was created to perform.

A weighted hoop publication No. 20100029446, discloses “Padded andweighted exercise hoop” as being used for the purpose of toning andweight loss. The hula hoop in said mentioned invention uses metal forthe body of said hoop and padding on the outer layer of metal withliquid or other material inside for added weight. The problem with saidhula hoop is the pressure at contact point with the body can cause painand bruising. Other existing problems of said hula hoop are its lack offunction, in that it cannot be folded to make transport easy, takes up atremendous amount of space, and can be noisy due to the materials insidethe hollow body of the hoop, for example, metal balls, glass marbles, orplastic beads.

Another example of a hula hoop is, Publication No. 99-3801 “A coil ringhula hoop with enforced playing effect”. It is made of a coil ring thatis flexible but the material is not soft and it will hurt the user whenit comes into contact with the body of the user. Because of the coilhoop's design, when in use the metal coil becomes separated, thusallowing for the material when it comes back together with each rotationto catch the skin in between said coils and thus pinch the user causingpain and bruising.

A further example, Publication No. U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,134, “Collapsiblehula hoop”, is a hula hoop that folds down with an elastic cord runningthrough the hollow body of the hula hoop. It solves a problem of thefixed ring of a conventional hula hoop, but it still does not solve theproblem of a comfortable workout. Nor does it fold down to a size thatwill transport easily.

Example of Publication No. U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,309, “Collapsiblehula-hoop”, shows an inflatable hula hoop that will fold to a compactsize suitable to transport easily and store with minimal space. However,said prior art does not have the weight that it needs to createcentrifugal force for the movement of the hula hoop. Therefore, it doessolve the problem of storage and transport, but not for the utility ofthe purpose of exercise and toning.

The above-mentioned prior art, with the exception of U.S. Pat. No.5,895,309, has been known to provide an exercise that tones the waistand assist with weight loss, but at the discomfort of the user.

The existing hula hoops for exercise would need to change their designcompletely to function and have similar effects as current invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been keeping in mind the problemswith the above mentioned art. In order to solve the problems,aforementioned, current invention provides a flexible hula hoop made ofa soft, non-abrasive and stretchy material that cradles the naturalcurves of the body when it comes into contact with the body of the user,allowing for a massaging and comfortable exercise that is entertainingand enjoyable.

Unlike prior art, this invention is made of strong, collapsible,stretchy and flexible material that can contain water allowing forcomfort of use, and easy transport; and has the ability to changeweight, due to the amount of liquid that is put in the hollow cavity ofthe hoop, for varying degrees of exercise.

It is used for the purpose of exercise, toning of the abdominal,gluteal, and thigh muscles. This invention also enhances the intestinalfunction because of the gyrations of the user, thus reducing feelings ofcramping and bloating in the abdomen.

The material in this invention can stretch therefore it can also be usedfor resistance training to assist in the toning of arm, gluteal, lowerand upper leg muscles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of hula hoop taken from

FIG. 2 in accordance with the embodiment of present invention; is a viewof both the smooth outer surface of the flexible, soft, stretchymaterial, as well as, the inside ridges of the hula hoop;

FIG. 3 is a view of dimensions of current hula hoop which can bealtered;

FIG. 4 is a view of the hula hoop with the valve structure and plug;

FIG. 5 is a view of the hula hoop folded and collapsed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows hollow cavity 6 of a flexible, soft, stretchy, plasticmaterial 4 so that there is an unrestricted flow of liquid to maximizemomentum during use; the material of said flexible hoop is such that itis created to seal in such a way as to not allow leakage of liquid fromwithin the hoop body 4 itself.

FIG. 2 shows ridges 2 of flexible plastic material of invention 4 thatwas added to aid hula hoop to cling to user's body to assist in themovement necessary to keep invention moving around the waist and hiparea of the user; it has been found that the ridges do not assist withkeeping the hula hoop around the waist or hips of user, therefore, saidridges 2 are decorative only and could be changed or taken off withoutdetriment to the embodiment of the hula hoop 4.

Flexible plastic material in FIG. 2, shows a smooth outer surface 5 ofthe hula hoop 4; this material may be changed as long as it isconsistent with the current material used such as a non-abrasive,flexible, soft, stretchy material that will hold liquid inside cavityfor optimal performance of the said invention by the user; additionallythe thickness of material can be changed for added flexibility of hulahoop 4.

FIG. 3 shows the dimensions of the embodiment of the hula hoop 4 to be40 mm by 600 mm; these dimensions allow for average size users to beable to move the hula hoop around their waist and hips; improved uponadditional sizing will allow for a broader range of individual use basedon the size of the user; additional sizes of ring could be 2 inches to45 inches in circumference and any other size that would be appropriateto the usage of said invention; smaller rings could be worn around wristor ankles for increased weight on arms or legs. A side angle 5 of theinvention is shown to give perspective to the dimensions and show thesmooth outer surface, which could be altered without detriment to theintegrity of invention.

FIG. 4 shows the complete embodiment of hula hoop 4 with the aperturelocation 3 where plug 1 will be placed after liquid has been added tohula hoop 4 to fill the cavity 6 with approximately 3-5 cups of liquiddepending on the level of intensity desired. The more liquid weight theuser puts into the cavity 6 the easier it is to use the invention. Theplug 1 can be removed to allow for the elimination of liquid for storageor transport.

The current plug 1 in FIG. 4 sits securely inside an aperture 3 causingthe liquid to stay within the cavity of the ring 6 for unrestricted flowof liquid through the cavity. The plug 1 is inserted into aperture 3 bypushing for a secure fit, however, the current method has the capabilityof allowing leakage and is hard to remove when the addition or removalof water from the hula hoop 4 is desired for transport or storage.

An improved plug can screw into an aperture, reducing the possibility ofleakage if not completely eliminating the possibility of said leakage;enabling easier access to aperture 3 for liquid to be added or removed;an improved upon plug will allow for air release without the necessityof being separated from the body of the hula hoop 4, and will releaseair through holes in the upper portion of the plug as the hula hoop 4 isbeing folded for transport or storage; the modified plug will also allowliquid to be added or removed when it is separated from the body of thehula hoop 4; improved upon plug could be magnetic, screw style, or anyplug, device, system, or best mode that will allow easy access to theaperture for liquid removal or addition and air release when foldingapparatus.

FIG. 5 shows a folded and collapsed view of said invention. In thisfolded position the hula hoop dimensions are 5″×4″×2″ without liquid and8×6″×2″ with liquid.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions or substitutions can bemade without departing from the scope of invention as disclosed in thefollowing claims.

Additional improvements to the current invention may be but are notlimited to; an electronic chip may be added to the body of ring, eitherbetween layers of material or attached to the outer layer, coordinatewith wearable technology and an App on device to regulate and track datawhile hula hoop is in use.

What is claimed is:
 1. A collapsible exercise hoop that comprises aflexible, soft material including a plug, and aperture to hold weightinside the cavity of said body of hoop during use, storage or transportand having a cushioning effect.
 2. The hoop of claim 1, comprising asoft material that can contain liquid.
 3. The hoop of claim 2,comprising material that is flexible and non-abrasive that can containliquid.
 4. The hoop of claim 3, comprising material that will stretchand contain liquid.
 5. The hoop of claim 3, comprising of material thatcan be folded and collapsed with or without liquid in cavity.
 6. Thehoop of claim 1, said weight consisting essentially of water.
 7. Thehoop of claim 1, including a plug and aperture for the liquid to beremoved or added.
 8. The hoop of claim 7, including no part that can beremoved but can be improved upon without altering the invention.
 9. Thehoop of claim 1, comprises of material that can be altered in size foradditional uses.